April 2022
Hard Hats
the following guidelines have been established to reduce the risk of incident and injury when it comes to working in areas where overhead hazards including electrical conductors are present.
Hard Hats are to be used when an employee of the Amherst College Physical Plant or a contractor on campus is…
- working in any location that has been identified as a “Hard Hat” area.
- working in buildings under alteration, construction, demolition or renovation
- working in or around an excavation or trench that is or was formed other than by hand.
- trimming or removing branches and trees that have overhead limbs
- working in the Amherst College steam tunnel system, identified as a confined space
- working in areas of buildings where components and the structure present a head injury hazard, such as the mechanical space in the attic of Webster
- exposed to electrical conductors which may come in contact with their head exposed to any possible danger of head injury from;
- impact
- falling or flying objects
In accordance with regulatory requirements, hard hats purchased before
July 05, 1994 shall meet the requirements of ANSI (American National
Standards Institute) Z89.1-1969. Those purchased after the July 1994
date shall comply with ANSI standard Z89.1-1986.
As with all personal protective equipment (PPE), hard hats must be inspected for breaks, cracks, damage, missing parts and other related deficiencies before use. Those that have been identified as defective shall be removed from service and replaced by either the Service Center or Environmental Health and Safety.
It is the responsibility of each and every supervisor to oversee the implementation and enforcement of this guideline. The Director of Facilities Planning and Management, the Assistant Director for Operations, the Environmental Health and Safety Committee and the office of Environmental Health and Safety have implemented this program for reasons of safety, health, and liability.